Wichita eagle., 1887-07-17
NATIONAL PROHIBITION.

There is undoubtedly growing senfi
ment throughout the country in favor OF
tn e suppression of the liquor traffic. The
great majority of people in every state and
ection of this country agree on the one
point that very little good ever comes tc
humanity by the manufacture or use OF ar
dent spirits. The great advantage to pro
hibition in every contest, is owing to the
fact that they can say thousand things
against the liquors commonly used as bev
erages, while the opponents of the meas
ure are unable to say anything good for
these fiery liquids. The prohibitionist can
tell of hundreds of cases where individuals
and families have been ruined by the use OF
these beverages, where their opponents can
not site single instance where an indi-
vidual has been benefited by their use.
When It is admitted that the use of liquor
as beverage should be prohibited, then
how to do it is the part of craftsmanship
Men may talk as they will about
abolishiDg the saloon, but the OBJ
ject of prohibition, is to keep
people from drinking. If there is as
much liquor drank under prohibition as
under a license law, then it could not be
said prohibition is better temperance law
than license. Just in proportion as it can
be shown that the drinking habits OF the
people have been broken up by prohibition
so far and no farther can it be claimed for
the measure that it is good temperance
law. The opponents of prohibition in
Kansas have repeatedly claimed that liquor
is sold in more places under the present
law than under the old license law. Even
if this were true, it should be remembered
that there are great many more people in
Kansas now than when prohibition went
into effect. And with larger population
even it cannot be denied that statistics show
a decrease in the consumption of liquors
This is the only temperance test and is I'm
d oubtedly favorable to the present law.
The regulation OF the liquor business
brings into requisition what is known
as the police power of govern
ment. When it is proposed to
have the United States government exer
else this police power. which will be nee
essary If prohibition is made a nationa!
issue, we believe states will oppose the
measure, that if left to regulate it by their
state law would favor prohibition. While
there is no party now in this country
states rights, that is the right of
state to nullify law of congress, yet
there are a very considerable number of
people who believe in local governments
for the state. Many of that class, too, are
and when it is proposed to
prohibit the sale of liquor in the states by
aw of congress, many prohibitionists will
vote with the antics because they oppose
he means to be employed to accomplish |
what they are really in favor of. Prohi-
'ition is practically local issue and in
there has always been trouble
where the majority in particular neighbor-
hoods or cities have been against the
Measure. In such cases the law mas not al
Ways been executed to the letter.
The friends of prohibition in this state
lave undertaken to overcome this objec-
ion in localities where the majority is not
n favor of vigorous enforcement of the
aw by intrusting its execution to the mi
ority. This it is claimed will ensure the exc
cution of the law wherever small minor
ty can be found in its favor. This, how
yer, would be fatal if applied by the gen.
raj government to the states. We are
therefore, of opinion that the success of
depends on keeping it out of
aticnal politics. 1t is essentially local
ssue, and its worst enemies are those who
would make it national issue.